Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “default author”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “default author”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Hide Author Archive shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #1 2 Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Guest Author 5K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9 Edit Author Slug 100K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Author Box WP Lens 900+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Osom Author Pro 1K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Default Post Author 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 12 too high 15 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Co-Authors Plus 20K+ · 3.5★ (77) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Change Author Link Structure 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 C Contact Form 7: Accessible Defaults 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Change WooCommerce Product Author – Transfer Ownership of WooCommerce Products 200+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #21 22 Setup Default Featured Image 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Hide Author Archive 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 14 too high 24 Change Product Author For WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.